Hem gauge and liner



June 10, 1941. A, w 2,245,313

HEM GAUGE AND LINER Filed March'SO, 1940 l I Z! /////Q G/ AI/ Z2 z 22 265 Patented June 10, 1941- ar as This invention relates to a device for the marking and lining of fabric and the like for hems on wearing apparel or for plaits.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a device which may be readily utilized With the customary marking crayon or chalk for the marking off of hems, tucks and plaits, such device, being relatively inexpensive and being of a material that is not readily worn while in use, thereby providing an especially long life or period of usefulness.

The chief feature of the invention consists in providing a marking and lining device body portion with marking and lining guide or gauge arrangements so that the fabric may be marked with chalk, crayon, or the like, as is well understood in the dressmaking and like garment industry.

Other objects and features will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing, the fol lowing description and claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawing, ii] indicates a body or head portion having an aligning edge I! which constitutes the base and from which extends transversely and medianly a stem providing handle arrangement 2 which may, if desired, be provided with scale means It at each side edge. The handle, furthermore, if desired, may be provided with an opening it therethrough and near its free end, which opening is adapted to permit the device to be hung up on a nail or the like. It may also constitute a support for one end of a tape measure.

The body portion IE3 is provided with an opposite edge I5 which is parallel to the aligning edge II. It will be noted that the two other edges are of serrated character, generally speaking, and are inclined from the aligning edge II outwardly to the ends of the parallel edge i5. These serrations on opposite sides of the body portion l9 comprise notches indicated generally by the numeral l6 and each notch includes an edge portion l1 parallel to the edge I l. A curved edge I8 extends from the root l9 of one notch to the forward end 2!! of the adjacent notch. Preferably, the point or end 29] is curved or relieved, as shown, the dotted lines indicated by numeral 2| representing the amount of such relief. The

purpose of such relief is to eliminate sharp corners so that in the use of the device the same will not hook into or engage the surface or fabric being marked and, therefore, will not catch upon the same and tear such fabric. The parallel edge of each notch is closest to the base line.

The notch 22, immediately adjacent the aligning edge II, is of slightly different character in that the edge 23 thereof is similar to the edge l8. Thus the root 24 of the notch 22 is the only part of this notch or serration which is parallel to the edge ll, whereas the portions ll of the several notches it are parallel to the edge ll. Furthermore, it will be noted that the aligned pairs of notches are regularly spaced apart and this may be or intervals as desired. The present form of the invention, in view of other lining arrangements hereinafter to be described, is illustrated as having the aligned pairs of notches spaced /z" apart. In alignment with each pair of oppositely directed notches is one or more elongated aligning slots 25.

Preferably to prevent the same catching and the like, the edges of the body portion, et cetera, are suitably relieved as at 26. Furthermore, the slots are suitably relieved as at 2? for like purposes. This permits the marking and lining device to be readily moved over the surface of the garment without danger of catching thereon.

The use of the device, insofar as measurement is concerned with relation to the scale I3, is obvious. In the marking of fabrics it is customary to use a gray or white crayon or chalk, usually in oblong form for marking. This is for darker colored fabric. For light colored fabric, a light blue marking medium is employed. The marking and lining device is held between the thumb and first and second fingers by means of the handle and the edge H is aligned with the predetermined edge or line and then the crayon or chalk is associated with the proper pair of oppositely directed aligned notches and the correspondingly aligned slot or slots to mark the fabric so as to place on the fabric a succession of indications parallel to the edge or line with which the edge ll of the device conforms. After the two or more indications are applied to the fabric, the device is shifted and realigned insofar as edge ii is concerned and then new indications are applied to the fabric which will be aligned with the previous indications and this procedure is repeated until the entire surface has been provided with these aligned indications. All of these indications then will be parallel to the predetermined line or edge and if such edge be the bottom of a skirt or the bottom of a sleeve, the indications will represent the hem edge. Or if the predetermined line with which edge H of the device was aligned constitutes the free edge of the hem, then the indications represent the edge of the fabric and the difference therebetween represents the hem proper.

It will be noted that the several notches l6 and 22 terminate in a point, as it were. Insofar as notches [6 are concerned, the crayon will bear on the parallel edges l1 and run out in the root of the notch. It will be noted that one edge of each slot is in alignment with the edges ll.

It will also be noted that insofar as notches 22 are concerned, there is not associated therewith a slot. The form of the invention illustrated, therefore, includes several embodiments of the basic invention. As hereinbefore stated, this device can be utilized for rapidly lining up tucks on dresses and blouses; also, for rapidly lining up plaits on skirts and dresses. It will also permit the rapid lining up of sleeve hems on coats, dresses and blouses and will also permit the rapid lining up of hems on all types of garments. In actual practice, after one garment has been lined up the person utilizing the device has acquired sufficient skill so that a garment may be lined up in approximately one-third of the time required by the customary methods now employed in the garment industry.

The material of which the device is fabricated may be such as may be'found more convenient. For example, as an advertising novelty the material may be hard paper board, such as hard cardboard, and bear advertising legending thereon. It may also be of metal, preferably rust-proof in character. It may also be of some synthetic material such as Celluloid, pyroxylin, acetate sheeting, or a phenol condensation material and may be either opaque, translucent, or transparent.

Distances of the respective notches from the edge ll may also be designated on the body portion, but for clearness, are herein omitted.

It will be readily apparent that insofar as all the materials mentioned hereinbefore are concerned that the device may be fabricated by a single stamping operation even to the formation of the relief 28 and 21 before mentioned.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modifications described herein, as well as others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, are all considered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A hem marking device including a single blank having one edge forming a relatively wide base line, two diverging sides and an edge opposite the base line edge and appreciably wider than the latter, the sides having inwardly directed notches, notches on opposite sides being aligned, such alignment being parallel to the base line, each notch being defined by a pair of confronting edges, the edge nearest the base line being parallel to the base line and the other notch confronting edge being inclined thereto, the body having a parallel series of slots coincident with said alignments, the selected two opposed notches and intermediate slot in alignment therewith permitting marking of a fabric with a crayon when the blank is placed upon the fabric with the base line registering with garment length line to designate a desired hem line parallel to the garment length line.

2. A device as defined by claim 1 characterized by the blank having an integral handle portion extending transversely of the base line edge and between the ends thereof and at a considerable distance from said ends, and oppositely from the aligned slots.

3. A singular blank including a central stem portion and a head portion, the latter being longer and wider than the stem portion and having approximately inclined sides directed toward the free end of the stem portion, the edges of the head portion coincident with the junction between the portions forming elongated and spaced aligning portions constituting a base line, each side including inwardly directed spaced notches, the notches on opposite sides being aligned and such alignments being parallel to the base line.

HARRIET A. VVILHITE. 

